The Hustle Everyday Mindset Is a Race to the Bottom
We unknowingly use these pressures as our driving force to persist that we ultimately forget they are in fact detrimental to us.
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One of the reasons I hated being in college was because I was never able to keep up with my overworked and sleepless peers.
I remember there was always someone who pulled all-nighters only to be running on fumes the next day.
Even worse, the moments we could have spent sleeping, we used only to prove to everyone else that we weren’t.
It was like the less you slept, the more chances for you to be successful.
Sleeping seems like such an atrocious crime in today’s hustle culture.
Too often are we glorified and celebrated for sacrificing our physical, emotional, and mental health for the sake of productivity.
Suddenly, an overabundant and punishing schedule equates to a stunning work ethic.
This narrative has been perpetuated by what psychologists refer to as impression management. It is defined as our attempt to control or influence the perception that other people have of us.
Toby Thomas, CEO of EnSite Solutions, says the phenomenon is like a man riding a lion:
“People look at him and think, ‘This guy’s really got it together! He’s brave!’ And the man riding the lion is thinking, ‘How the hell did I get on a lion, and how do I keep from getting eaten?’”
When we care more about how we are being perceived instead of how we are treating ourselves, we relinquish our personal autonomy and become a slave to internal and external pressures.
Consequently, we unknowingly use these pressures as our driving force to persist that we ultimately forget they are in fact detrimental to us.
The Cost of Hustle Culture
When we associate success with money, power, or status, it is easy to fall into the belief that the only way to achieve it is to be single-minded and sleep-deprived.
However, our brains were not meant to be overworked like that. In fact, we need to sleep to…
